The American Dream today is having happiness through wordly possessions, economic prosperity, and high social status. Jay Gatsby's goal in life was to be the ideal American, having all of these qualities. His version of the Amercian Dream was to be wealthy and socially accepted. By having large and extravegant parties at his mansion almost every night, Gatsby rose to a higher social standard and through working with Wolfsheim, he schemed and became very wealthy. Because Gatsby lived during the Jazz Age, his opinion of the American Dream was directly influenced since he lived during a time of economic wealth and the pursuit of happiness. The title "The Great Gatsby", represents who Gatsby wanted to be and tried to be. He wanted to be "Great", the kind of great that the Jazz Age portrayed. The "greatness" was to be accepted by everyone and to be seen as a wealthy individual that was happy and loved. Gatsby wanted to be "great" to get the attention of his love, Daisy.
The American Dream is something that millions of people, all over the world, strive for every day. According to the dictionary, the American Dream is defined as "a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S." (American Dream). Gatsby seeks this happiness and material comfort in his desire for Daisy Buchanan. The novel both praises and condemns Gatsby's American Dream. Towards the beginning of the book, it highly praises him, glorifying his parties, and his land, and the mystery of who he actually is. All seems good until Gatsby and Daisy are finally reunited, and things start to turn. Gatsby's actual past is revealed, as well as how he earned all of his money. The truth starts to come out of Gatsby, and the novel condemns his dream. In the last chapter, Gatsby's father revealed even more about his son, and it continued to diminish the first impression of Gatsby, that he was a successful and happy man of the Jazz Age. All of Gatsby's alleged friends turned against him. Gatsby fell farther due to the situation of Myrtle's death, and had to take the blame, eventually leading to his own. Futher, the Gatsby's funeral proves that he had no one in the world, because his neighbor, his father, and one other man were the only attendants. People loved the idea of him because he was an ideal example of one who reached the dream of wealth and happiness, but they did not love who he really was as a person. The American Dream was Gatsby's only dream, and his constant desire for Daisy ultimately led to his downfall.
The American Dream hasn't really changed since Gatsby's time. People admire those who are "prosperous" and "famous". They try to get what others have, and they think it is the only way to truly be happy. People trick themselves into thinking that as long as they can earn a lot of money, everything else they do in order to get to that point doesn't matter. Such as getting involved in "get rich quick" schemes, and stepping over all kinds of people in order to get what they want. People have jobs that they hate, all so that they can make a lot of money, and in the end they believe it will make them happy. Kids are taught, at a young age, that money equals love and happiness. This idea has taken away morals and values from people. The Jazz Age only started this concept of the American Dream, and today people have made it much more desirable and at the same time harder to achieve.
Equation of a Successful life according to the American Dream: AND
MoneyEqualsLoveandHappiness
The Jazz Age was a time of happiness and constant frivolity proceding the stock market crash and the Great Depression. Because people were wealthy, they were not worried about their futures. Fitzgerald includes many elements of the Jazz Age in The Great Gatsby. Through Gatsby's large and extravagent parties, and his guests' wealth, Fitzgerald portrays how life would be for the rich during the Jazz Age. People had large houses with lots of land for pools, boats, multiple cars, and like Gatsby, even hydroplanes. Fitzgerald glorified the life of the rich and famous in New York, something that was a huge part of the Jazz Age. People lived carelessly, and spent days and nights downtown enjoying the city life, drinking and dancing. Flappers were common symbols of joy in the Jazz Age, where people could go and see women dance. Society had recently become less strict on women and what they wore, allowing girls to display their legs beneath mini skirts, and to show off their shoulders in tank tops. This proved that the Jazz Age was an era of frivolity and relaxation, allowing people to relax on the comforts of their money, as most did. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are perfect examples of people who relied on their money to get them by in life. Tom was very wealthy because, like most young men who did not participate in the first world war, Tom inherited his money from his family. So, he and Daisy were set for life, with the promise of no financial problems, without even having to lift a finger.
The themes and events in The Great Gatsby affect the view of the glorified American Dream. It shows how much people really care about it and what they will do to achieve it. Through Daisy and Tom Buchanan, readers can see how desiring and caring so much for money can really affect people. Through Gatsby and his search for the perfect life that portrays the American Dream, readers see that this ultimately ruins Gatsby. In the end, Gatsby has nothing to show for all the work that he did and all the time that he spent working to achieve his dream. Through all of the ruined dreams and lives in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the hunt and the want for the ultimate American Dream is less glorified. It makes it seem not worth having to spend an entire life to get something and in the end not even get it. The Great Gatsby makes the American Dream seem like a waste of time; however it does leave the readers with one valuable lesson: money ultimatley will not make you happy forever.
The text of Gatsby is so well written and relatable that while reading it, one will learn something about themselves from the text. Although the three of us learned very different things about ourselves throughout the book, we all learned some things in common. For one, money does not equal love and happiness. Although some people believe this still today there is much more to life than money. Second, one can become completely obsessed with someone or something and have it rule over their life. This will lead to an unsuccessful and wasteful life. That is what happened to Gatsby and it ended up causing his death. Lastly, worldy possessions and social status are unimportant aspects of life. One can strive and work for so many different goals that will lead to a overall successful life.
The American Dream today is having happiness through wordly possessions, economic prosperity, and high social status. Jay Gatsby's goal in life was to be the ideal American, having all of these qualities. His version of the Amercian Dream was to be wealthy and socially accepted. By having large and extravegant parties at his mansion almost every night, Gatsby rose to a higher social standard and through working with Wolfsheim, he schemed and became very wealthy. Because Gatsby lived during the Jazz Age, his opinion of the American Dream was directly influenced since he lived during a time of economic wealth and the pursuit of happiness. The title "The Great Gatsby", represents who Gatsby wanted to be and tried to be. He wanted to be "Great", the kind of great that the Jazz Age portrayed. The "greatness" was to be accepted by everyone and to be seen as a wealthy individual that was happy and loved. Gatsby wanted to be "great" to get the attention of his love, Daisy.
The American Dream is something that millions of people, all over the world, strive for every day. According to the dictionary, the American Dream is defined as "a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S." (American Dream). Gatsby seeks this happiness and material comfort in his desire for Daisy Buchanan. The novel both praises and condemns Gatsby's American Dream. Towards the beginning of the book, it highly praises him, glorifying his parties, and his land, and the mystery of who he actually is. All seems good until Gatsby and Daisy are finally reunited, and things start to turn. Gatsby's actual past is revealed, as well as how he earned all of his money. The truth starts to come out of Gatsby, and the novel condemns his dream. In the last chapter, Gatsby's father revealed even more about his son, and it continued to diminish the first impression of Gatsby, that he was a successful and happy man of the Jazz Age. All of Gatsby's alleged friends turned against him. Gatsby fell farther due to the situation of Myrtle's death, and had to take the blame, eventually leading to his own. Futher, the Gatsby's funeral proves that he had no one in the world, because his neighbor, his father, and one other man were the only attendants. People loved the idea of him because he was an ideal example of one who reached the dream of wealth and happiness, but they did not love who he really was as a person. The American Dream was Gatsby's only dream, and his constant desire for Daisy ultimately led to his downfall.
The American Dream hasn't really changed since Gatsby's time. People admire those who are "prosperous" and "famous". They try to get what others have, and they think it is the only way to truly be happy. People trick themselves into thinking that as long as they can earn a lot of money, everything else they do in order to get to that point doesn't matter. Such as getting involved in "get rich quick" schemes, and stepping over all kinds of people in order to get what they want. People have jobs that they hate, all so that they can make a lot of money, and in the end they believe it will make them happy. Kids are taught, at a young age, that money equals love and happiness. This idea has taken away morals and values from people. The Jazz Age only started this concept of the American Dream, and today people have made it much more desirable and at the same time harder to achieve.
Equation of a Successful life according to the American Dream:
Money Equals Love and Happiness
The Jazz Age was a time of happiness and constant frivolity proceding the stock market crash and the Great Depression. Because people were wealthy, they were not worried about their futures. Fitzgerald includes many elements of the Jazz Age in The Great Gatsby. Through Gatsby's large and extravagent parties, and his guests' wealth, Fitzgerald portrays how life would be for the rich during the Jazz Age. People had large houses with lots of land for pools, boats, multiple cars, and like Gatsby, even hydroplanes. Fitzgerald glorified the life of the rich and famous in New York, something that was a huge part of the Jazz Age. People lived carelessly, and spent days and nights downtow
The themes and events in The Great Gatsby affect the view of the glorified American Dream. It shows how much people really care about it and what they will do to achieve it. Through Daisy and Tom Buchanan, readers can see how desiring and caring so much for money can really affect people. Through Gatsby and his search for the perfect life that portrays the American Dream, readers see that this ultimately ruins Gatsby. In the end, Gatsby has nothing to show for all the work that he did and all the time that he spent working to achieve his dream. Through all of the ruined dreams and lives in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the hunt and the want for the ultimate American Dream is less glorified. It makes it seem not worth having to spend an entire life to get something and in the end not even get it. The Great Gatsby makes the American Dream seem like a waste of time; however it does leave the readers with one valuable lesson: money ultimatley will not make you happy forever.
The text of Gatsby is so well written and relatable that while reading it, one will learn something about themselves from the text. Although the three of us learned very different things about ourselves throughout the book, we all learned some things in common. For one, money does not equal love and happiness. Although some people believe this still today there is much more to life than money. Second, one can become completely obsessed with someone or something and have it rule over their life. This will lead to an unsuccessful and wasteful life. That is what happened to Gatsby and it ended up causing his death. Lastly, worldy possessions and social status are unimportant aspects of life. One can strive and work for so many different goals that will lead to a overall successful life.
Works Cited:
American Dream. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved March 18, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/AmericanDream>.
http://www.union.lib.nc.us/swu/flappers%20blue%20grey.jpg
Cugat, Francis. Dust Jacket Illustration. 18 Mar. 2008. <http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/collection/dustjackets/gatsby.html>.
Estate Reality. Estate Reality a World Mega website. 18 Mar. 2008. <http://www.estaterealty.com/listman/listings/images/12_5.jpg>.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004.